Today’s podcast/video is a practical guide to the Markgraf faction in Conquest of Elysium 5 (also appears in CoE4). We’ll cover a general overview, how the faction plays, and actionable strategies from early to late game. This isn’t an encyclopaedia—just the key ideas you need to win more games with the Markgraf.
Note on names: Standardized terms used here: Markgraf, Hoburg, Nekromant, Flesh Golems, Ghoul Guardians, Bane Fire Crossbows. (In-game text/spellings may vary slightly by version/mod.)
TL;DR (Quick Wins)
- Recruit in bulk: Hoburg can recruit 15 per slot instead of 5—huge power spike early on.
- Early carry: Crossbowmen + Raise Dead chaff = safe early snowball.
- Primary weakness: Slow movement (2 tiles). Fix later with vampires, Ghoul Guardians, and mobility tools.
- Late game core: Flesh Golems front wall + Bane Fire Crossbows + casters.
- Power unlock: Find an Old Castle Ruin to access the good stuff (vampires, Ghoul tech).
Faction Identity & Economy
What You Are
- Horde faction built around mass bodies, undead support, and bulk Hoburg recruits.
- Only your Markgraf reaches caster level 3 (after Old Castle Ruin). Other lords cap at level 2.
Resources You Manage
- Gold: Standard recruitment.
- Hands of Glory: From settlements, villages, ports, graveyards, gallows. Fuels rituals, upgrades, conversions.
- Corpses: For Raise Dead, Flesh Golems, Abominations.
- Iron: You generally stockpile more than most factions (Hoburg bulk recruits are iron-light compared to humans). Later, sink iron into Ghoul Guardians.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- 15-per-slot Hoburg recruits (huge early tempo).
- Crossbowmen are excellent early and scale with numbers.
- Raise Dead rapidly builds chaff walls.
- Mid/Late unlocks:
- Vampires via Markgraf’s level-3 ritual (Blood Kiss)—cheap, immortal raiders.
- Ghoul Guardians: non-slow elite infantry; recruitable everywhere once a Ghoul Baron exists.
- Flesh Golems: cheap, tanky, heal, perfect wall units.
- Bane Fire Crossbows: convert Longdead into mobile, high-damage ranged.
Weaknesses
- Slow armies (2 move) → prey to kiting/avoidance mid-game.
- Power bottleneck until you find an Old Castle Ruin.
- Raise Dead units don’t heal → drop off in late game vs. heavy casters/summoners.
- Some Necromancy spells (Decay) can backfire on your own undead—spell selection matters.
Early Game Plan (Turn 1 to First Major Stack)
Starting Setup
- You begin with a Markgraf, a Nekromant, and a Small Graveyard nearby.
First 10–20 Turns: Do This
- Secure the Small Graveyard
- Move there immediately; Raise Dead to bootstrap an army.
- If you play without “starting defense” mods, leave 2–3 Hoburg Crossbowmen to hold your home.
- Use the Nekromant smartly
- Raising dead costs movement and adds Insanity.
- Push each Nekromant to ~60 Insanity, then keep them attached to your main army.
- Rotate/replace with a newly hired Nekromant as gold allows.
- Snowball with safe fights
- Target farms/hamlets/villages first.
- Avoid early sieges and heavy artillery.
- Aim for 3:1 numbers before taking tougher sites.
- Recruit Priorities
- Crossbowmen first; Slingers are acceptable if starved of iron.
- Save iron early so you can mass Crossbowmen once you find mines.
- Scout & Expand
- Recruit Markmeisters on boars with Hog Hussars for fast scouting/capping (not for big fights).
- Your main fight stack is Raise Dead chaff + Hoburg Crossbowmen.
Early Utility Tricks
- Soulless → Defenders: Convert soulless at recruitment points; Soulless Defenders are surprisingly sturdy (armor, shields, pierce resist).
- Dark Knowledge (L1 ritual): Fish for Old Castle Ruins (and corpse-rich zones). Cast as soon as a Nekromant learns it.
Mid Game (Power-On with Old Castle Ruin)
Once you locate an Old Castle Ruin, your kit opens up:
Promotions & Upgrades
- Markgraf → Level 3 access: Blood Kiss ritual.
- Blood Kiss: Turns Markmeisters into Vampires (cap at level 2).
- Immortal, flying, tough hybrid casters/melee.
- Use them as solo/duo raiders to shred backlines, flip lightly defended sites, and stretch opponents thin.
Ghoul Engine
- Use your tools to create a Ghoul Baron (don’t spend this on your main Markgraf).
- With one Ghoul Baron alive, you can recruit Ghoul Guardians everywhere:
- Not slow, excellent armor, magical attacks that create Ghouls from kills.
- Cost: ~5 Iron + 5 Hands of Glory per 10—very efficient.
- This is your premium late-game line infantry.
Flesh Golems Come Online
- Flesh Golems cost corpses + minimal gold/ritual cost, do not cost Insanity, and heal.
- Build them en masse with multiple casters; they form your double-rank meat wall.
Late Game (Winning Compositions & Ritual Value)
Core Army Template
- Frontline: 2 ranks of Flesh Golems or ranks of Ghoul Guardians (or a mix).
- Backline: 2–3 ranks of Bane Fire Crossbows (convert Longdead once you have Hands of Glory to spare).
- Support: 2–4 casters with non-Decay kits, plus healing if available.
- Items: Alicorn (party-wide healing bonus) is great for Golem sustain.
Bane Fire Crossbows Notes
- Early they’re expensive (10 HoG for just 5 conversions), but late you’ll have flow.
- They hit harder than Hoburg Crossbows and aren’t slow, so they keep up with Ghouls/Golems.
Abominations (Level 2 Ritual)
- Cost: 50 Hands of Glory + many corpses.
- Synergy: Park them on tiles with 4–5 skulls of corpses; they absorb corpses and scale HP with no formal cap.
- Role: Anchor units for siege/defense lanes; they don’t heal, so deploy intelligently.
Spell & Item Curation
- Avoid: Spells with Decay on mixed undead armies (friendly fire risk).
- Prefer: Diseases, mind-targeting spells that don’t affect mindless, direct damage that spares undead.
- Healing items/auras amplify Flesh Golem longevity.
Strategic Map Play
- Vampire swarms handle guerilla warfare: flipping sites, hunting backline commanders, forcing the enemy to split.
- Main doomstack (Golems/Ghouls + Bane Fire + casters) takes capitals, forts, and decisive fights.
- Keep producing Flesh Golems every turn cycle; numbers win wars.
Practical Tips & Common Pitfalls
Do:
- Cast Dark Knowledge regularly to locate Old Castle Ruins and corpse-rich battlefields.
- Stockpile Longdead in a safe town; convert later into Bane Fire Crossbows in batches.
- Promote a Nekromant to Ghost (via Twiceborn + death on your graveyard) → Grand Ghost Nekromant for +1 move and Insanity recovery—great Golem factories.
Don’t:
- Over-invest in Minor Summons (L1)—generally low impact vs. Raise Dead and Major Summons (L2).
- Take sieges early without artillery answers; you can lose backline casters through walls.
- Lean on Raise Dead into late game; the units don’t heal and fall off vs. serious magic.
Example Build Orders (By Phase)
Early (Turns 1–20):
- Graveyard → Raise Dead → snowball chaff.
- Recruit Hoburg Crossbowmen; leave 2–3 to garrison home.
- Add Markmeister + Hog Hussars for scouting/caps.
- Save Gold for more Nekromants; push each to ~60 Insanity.
Mid (After Old Castle Ruin):
- Blood Kiss → roll out Vampires as raiders.
- Create Ghoul Baron → start Ghoul Guardian recruitment everywhere.
- Spin up Flesh Golem production with mobile casters.
Late (Closing Games):
- Consolidate a doomstack: 2 ranks Golems/Ghouls, 2–3 ranks Bane Fire, casters.
- Seed Abominations on corpse-rich tiles (4–5 skulls), let them grow.
- Vampires raid relentlessly; doomstack takes thrones/forts.
Wrap-Up
The Markgraf thrives on mass, momentum, and mid/late unlocks. Once the Old Castle Ruin is online, your Vampires, Ghoul Guardians, and Flesh Golems turn slow Hoburg warfare into a map-control machine. Build the wall, line up the Bane Fire, curate your spells—and roll.
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